Daily Current Affairs

The Karnataka government has increased the legal age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21 years. Penalties for violations have been enhanced, with fines rising up to ₹1,000.

Key provisions of the new regulations:

• Complete ban on hookah bars
• Public smoking restricted to notified smoking zones in select hotels, restaurants, and airports
• Sale prohibited within 100 metres of educational institutions
• Loose tobacco sales banned

The Department of Land Resources (DoLR) has rolled out the second phase of training under the NAKSHA programme to strengthen urban land survey capacity.

Over 300 officers from 157 Urban Local Bodies are being trained in advanced geospatial technologies including:

• GNSS-based surveying
• Web-GIS
• Parcel-level mapping

Training is being conducted across five Centres of Excellence including LBSNAA, YASHADA, and ATI Mysuru.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) unveiled a five-year plan to mobilise up to $10 billion to support India’s urban infrastructure.

Focus areas include:

• Metro rail expansion
• RRTS corridors
• Sustainable city development

The initiative aligns with India’s Urban Challenge Fund and aims to crowd in private investment through project preparation support and blended finance.

Indian Biogas Association (IBA) and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) have signed an MoU to jointly promote bioenergy and bio-hydrogen projects in India.

The partnership will:

• Establish a knowledge centre
• Leverage IOCL’s infrastructure and IBA’s technical expertise
• Accelerate clean fuel adoption

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launched Bharat Gen, India’s first indigenous, government-funded multimodal AI language model designed for Indian languages.

Supported by the Department of Science and Technology, the initiative integrates text, speech, and images across 22 languages to provide AI solutions in:

• Healthcare
• Education
• Agriculture
• Governance

From June 1, 2025, Canara Bank has waived the Average Monthly Balance (AMB) requirement for all savings accounts, eliminating penalties for non-maintenance and enhancing financial inclusion.

India’s gross GST revenue for May 2025 crossed ₹2.01 lakh crore, registering a growth of over 16% compared to the same month last year.

This marks the second consecutive month of GST collections exceeding ₹2 lakh crore.

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) processed 18.68 billion transactions in May 2025, showing strong year-on-year growth.

The total transaction value stood at around ₹14 lakh crore, reflecting the continued expansion of digital payments in India.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed monetary penalties on 353 regulated entities during FY 2024–25 for violations related to:

• KYC norms
• Cyber security
• Asset classification
• Reporting standards

Cooperative banks accounted for the highest number of penalties.

Lt Gen Dinesh Singh Rana assumed office as the 18th Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman & Nicobar Command (CINCAN), India’s only tri-services operational command.

This marks the first elevation of a Chief of Defence Intelligence to this post.

Air Marshal Jasvir Singh Mann has been appointed Senior Air Staff Officer of the Western Air Command.

A decorated fighter pilot, he brings extensive operational and strategic experience to the role.

South African cricketer Heinrich Klaasen announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket to focus on franchise leagues and personal commitments.

Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell retired from One-Day Internationals (ODIs) after a 13-year career, choosing to concentrate on T20 cricket and global franchise tournaments.

World Bicycle Day is observed on 3 June to promote cycling as an eco-friendly, affordable, and healthy mode of transport.

Renowned French scientist Étienne-Émile Baulieu, known for developing the abortion pill RU-486, passed away at the age of 98.

He was also celebrated for his research on hormones, ageing, and neurodegenerative diseases.